Two Argentine sides Talleres and River Plate face off in the Copa Libertadores round of 16 first leg at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes on Wednesday night.
Talleres were unblemished on their turf in the group phase, but they meet one of the best away sides in the first knockout round and one they are familiar with.
Match preview
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Talleres drew fellow Argentine side River Plate in the Copa Libertadores last 16, a matchup they hoped to avoid despite the latter's seeded status, and the unwanted fixture saw Talleres miss out on facing Brazilian or Colombian opposition from Pot One.
Despite winning four of the last six meetings between the clubs, continental fixtures seldom throw up expected outcomes, and Walter Ribonetto hopes his side stave off the motivated River's threat in the Copa Libertadores.
La T's group-stage outcomes give the home support added reason for optimism, with nine points secured from three fixtures as hosts against Sao Paulo (2-1), Barcelona SC (3-1) and Cobresal (1-0).
Nevertheless, only one of those wins were by more than a one-goal margin, possibly giving River hope ahead of their all-Argentine meeting with Talleres.
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The away side strikingly notched seven points from their three away games in the group stage, a tally that outranked all but Junior Barranquilla and Palmeiras, both of whom claimed seven points on their travels.
River went six matches without losing (five wins), and they seek to keep that run going against an opponent they have lost four times to in the last six meetings.
However, the last two match-ups have seen Los Millonarios claim a victory and play out a 2-2 draw, perhaps pointing to a turning of the tide against their nemesis.
Given River scored six and let in none in front of their supporters in the competition's group stage, securing an encouraging result in Cordoba gives Marcelo Gallardo's men the upper hand in the tie, especially as La T could only claim four away points in the previous stage.
River also head into Wednesday night's game in slightly superior form — five league points from nine compared to three straight draws — even though the away side's 1-0 success over Sarmiento at the end of July is their only league victory in five games, which is superior to Talleres who have lost one and drawn four in the same period.
While that possibly gives Gallardo's men the form advantage, neither side entering this tie with recent wins under their belt means the last 16 tie is anyone's game.
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Team News
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Marcos Portillo is said to be out with a strain, while Ruben Botta is anticipated to be absent on Wednesday night due to a muscle problem.
While Botta netted twice in the group phase, the home side were far from reliant on one player to deliver the goods, with Federico Girotti also notching two across the Talleres' first six matches in the Libertadores.
Missing for the away side are Miguel Borja, absent due to a hamstring problem, while Facundo Colidio, Pity Martinez and Agustín Sant'Anna have knee issues.
Without Borja (five goals) and Colido (two), River will play without their leading goalscorers on Wednesday, worsening their prospects.
Talleres possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Vigo, Mantilla, Portillo, Navarro; Moyano, Portilla; Rodriguez, Barticciotto, Martinez; Girotti
River Plate possible starting lineup:
Armani; Casco, Pezzella, P. Doaz, E. Doaz; Aliendro, Biafore; Solari, Mastantuono, Echeverri; Bareiro
We say: Talleres 1-0 River Plate
With River shorn of their two Libertadores leading scorers, we are backing Talleres to eke out a marginal victory in Wednesday's all-Argentine last-16 first-leg match in Cordoba, thus notching their fifth victory in the last seven meetings between both sides.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
